The purpose of the present invention is to provide a slide having an upper profile element and a lower profile element designed for making a floating latch slide ensuring a reliable and fast snap-in engagement, in all cases, of the upper slide element with respect of the lower slide element.
Design of the upper profile element and of the lower profile element of the slide is studied so as to obtain the largest possible strength with normal deformations when used, while utilizing small metal sheet thicknesses, or at least metal sheet thicknesses smaller than those used in common practice for a same result.
In the present case, there is therefore obtained a complete slide of a smaller weight, having a good operation and also exhibiting a good tearing strength and, in limit cases, enabling a sufficient deformation of the slide prior to a tearing off of the upper profile element with respect to the lower profile element, thereby providing a considerable energy absorption which therefore protects the passenger seated on the seat in event of an accident.
The present design of the slide provides also a protection of the passenger seating on the rear seat and who, under effect of an impact, and even if he stretches his arms to protect himself or if his bust is projected frontwardly, does not find himself in front of a rigid wall but in front of a wall which deforms itself and which thus absorbs a certain quantity of energy protecting the passenger.
The following description shows that the upper and lower profile elements have, because of their shape, a considerable strength. It should also be noted that such profile elements have been created so that the upper profile element is generally of a thickness smaller than that of the lower profile element with a concern of obtaining a deformation for absorbing energy, but also for obtaining a constriction of the upper profile element on the lower profile element, thereby permitting a perfect operation of the slide.
In the following disclosure, there is disclosed a slide according to the invention, which slide can be used as such when the seat includes only one slide, or on the contrary can be mounted in a standard way, that is with two slides placed parallel to one another at a certain distance from each other for receiving the seating armature of a seat.
In the latter case of using two slides, it is possible to control the two slide floating latches with an assistance of a single control means placed either underneath the seat when there is an arcuate member forming a rudder bar, or on the right or on the left of the seat when there is an operating handle.
It is also possible that the floating latch of the slide is rigidly connected to a fixed portion, viz. the floor of a vehicle, and, in that case, the mobile portion of the slide carries a toothing cooperating with the aforementioned latch.
Moreover and as in the previous case, it is possible to conceive a control means which is either manual or power operated (through electrical or pneumatic means), so as to unlatch and latch the toothing in consideration with respect to the floating latch.
Openings are formed on the upper profile element of the slide and just in the mounting position of the floating latch, these openings enabling the teeth of the comb forming the floating latch to extend through the upper profile element and to interlock with the toothing provided on one of the sides of the lower profile element, with this toothing being a continuous toothing cut out on almost the totality of the length of the lower profile element and having for each opening a substantially trapezoidal shape, facilitating thus a penetration of the teeth of the comb forming the floating latch which is mounted on a pin maintained in a casing made rigid with the inner side wall of the upper profile element of the slide.
Since the floating latch can tilt in one direction or the other with respect to its fixation pin, there is obtained, and whatever the relative position of the toothing of the lower fixed profile element of the slide with respect to the upper mobile profile element carrying the latch, that the teeth of this latch will always extend inside the toothing of the lower fixed profile element of the slide while avoiding a so-called "machine-gun" effect which very often occurs with normal slides since the teeth of the latch or comb can slide in a continuous manner on the upper surface of the lower fixed profile element toothing without penetrating in the spaces between teeth, and therefore do not allow a latching of the slide, which is very dangerous if this phenomenon occurs in the even of an accident since the seat, and therefore the passenger which represent a large mass, is not fixed with respect to the vehicle and can therefore be brutally driven, with all the consequences resulting therefrom.
The floating latch of the present invention allows therefore, as hereabove indicated, and in all case, a reliable and rapid latching of the fixed profile element of a slide whatever the mounting conditions even, on the one hand, if there is an angular offset in the horizontal plane of the bearing zones of the lower profile elements and, on the other hand, if the plane upper portions underneath the backing base also exhibits a horizontal angular offset which can be amplified by the mounting of a device for setting the height of the seat base.
Actually, the floating mounting of the latch or comb provides for an automatic elimination of any backlash.